A New Kind of Family
by Saiyan Shinigami
Summary: Goku decides to leave with Shenron, leaving his family and friends behind. Again. Chi-chi, feeling lonely and forgotten finds a light in the dark. A new lover. The lavender haired Trunks. What will become of this destructive love affair? How will this change the lives of their families? Read on. Based on XOXOserenityXOXO's story idea.
1. Every Beginning Comes From an Ending

Moments after he leaves, Chi-chi still stands motionless in the same place, thinking the same line over and over.

_Don't I matter to you? Don't I matter to you? _

She forces everything around her to fade away, barely noticing all her friends who came to console her. Her legs felt wobbly and her hair clings to the tears on her face. Between there and the last place she watched her husband leave with the immortal dragon, she simply couldn't process everything that was happening. Again. More tears wells in the mother's eyes. She clenches her fists harder.

Finally, she makes movement. Her head drops toward the ground along with her knees and she squeezes her eyes shut. Her hands flutters up to her face and she clutches her ears. She hardly notices her two sons doing their best to hold her body up.

Out of habit her mind stretches back when she was pregnant with Goten. After the Cell Games. The world for her changed during the first year of her baby boy's life. And her already grown son. More tears streams out as she thinks of Gohan. The hard life she never asked for him to have. Never wanted him to have.

"We're fine, boys. You're father won't be gone forever. Never doubt the Dragon Balls." She'd once repeated over and over to her babies. It was a mom thing to say. She'd probably said it a thousand times. She was searching for the ordinary in her not-so-normal, extraordinary life.

"Goten..." She whispers to herself without meaning to. Her poor baby Goten. She couldn't decide which one of her sons suffered more. She didn't want to decide. Was it her fault for forcing them to grow up without a father? For years she told herself it was for the good of everyone that her beloved left. To fight and save the Earth. But was it really? Should Goku be the one to blame for everything that has happened?

A moment later her mind returns to reality and she remembers where she is and what is happening soon after the flood of memories drown out her mind.

Chi-chi, inside her mind, was scared. Scared of the future. Scared of the restless nights worrying about her family. As hard as she tried the last time Goku left, she could never fall asleep every moment away from her Saiyan.

She doesn't hear her children's begs for her to calm down as her knees shake. Her mind spins as she fought to forget the past. The future. "You will find all your answers in the present, Mom." Gohan had once told her. " What I'm tying to say is you will survive as long as you cherish what you have now. Even if... even if Dad's not with us."

Oh, what a perfect boy Gohan was. Understanding her when she needs him. But not this time.

As Goten cuddles her on his chest, as Gohan fights the urge to shed the tears for his mother, as her beloved Pan kissed away her own tears, and as Bulma ran into the Kami Look Out to fetch tissues, Chi-chi knew she could never forgive Goku, never let herself get so sucked up in him, miss him, when he never seemed to cry out for her. Even as her crying escalted into full out wailing, she knows she needs to be strong, even for her boys, who were adult now.

The Son mom almost truly convinces herself she will somehow wake up from her nightmare. But that wouldn't be the case this time. Goku would never change. For years Chi-chi did all that she could to focus on her boys, to somehow outwit herself. She was proud she didn't fail Goten and Gohan as Goku had. They kept her alive.

Gohan, now crouching down in his business suit next to his Mom, nearly bawled out himself. Not only for the pity he gives his mother, but he as well resents is father for leaving. As he holds his daughter in his free hand and hugs his mother with the other, the half Saiyan tilts his head backwards, toward the sky. He almost feels like flying up into the void himself to pull back their father into their lives. Not going to happen anymore. As a fatherless child, he felt like an outcast, alone, and out of place. At times he would lay in his bed, quietly, sprawl out and cry to himself without anyone hearing. At times when he couldn't block out the pain or the loneliness, all he had to do was close his eyes and fly away into the mountains by their home. Gohan came to believe, just as his younger brother, he ad to forget and forgive. "Please don't cry." He whispers.

No matter how much trouble Goten got into with Trunks, no matter how badly Trunks beat him at sparring, he never felt any worse than he did now. Just weeks before he was born, Goku has disappeared. Or that was at least what everyone told him. The younger brother rubs his Mommy's hair down, trying his best to keep his strength from shriveling up. Trunks comes up and places a hand on his best friend's shoulder, giving a thoughtful expression. Even though for years, he truly never understood why Goku did things like this to his mom. He remembers watching in dismay while his mommy sadly sipped her evening drink, waiting, watching for her prince charming to return home. "Oh, Mom! I love you, I love you, I love you..." he voice trails off when he forces his head toward her lap, and begins to chew on his thumb like a child.

Trunks tightens his tan fist over the handful of tissues in his hand. How could Goku do this to a great woman like her? He couldn't imagine how such a hero like him could be such a horrible husband and even father. He steals a glance at his father, Vegeta, and silently thanks Kami for giving him a father like him, even with the cold heart he has sometimes. No wonder Goten had always clung to him always when they were kids.

A waterfall of tears runs down Goten's face and Trunks hands out the tissues to the Son family, Trunks was used to them being strong. Seeing them all like this made him almost question why the universe was so cruel. He couldn't watch anymore.

"Goten, Gohan, go inside, take Pan. I'd hate for her to see everyone like this..." Trunks softly says to everyone. The brothers simultaneously wipe their noses and tears away. Gohan takes a deep breath and gazes up to Trunks. They lock hands and Trunks pulls him to his feet. "Sorry, Trunks. You're right." Gohan looks thoughtfully at his second little brother with the purple hair. "Mom, I'll take you home when you're ready." He motions his brother and daughter to come with him as he strides away.

Trunks looks at Chi-chi and hands her the last tissue. "Be strong, Mrs. Son. You'll always have your family. And me."

Hi and thank you for reading the first chapter of this great story. However, this story is a bit different. Although I am going to be writing all the chapters originally, the real idea and plot, a very well written plot, is by XOXOserenityXOXO. Please, I urge you to review. Thanks for reading!


	2. Surprise Guest

The next six weeks Chi-chi settles into a routine that feels almost normal. Each morning, she cooked her youngest son breakfast. Gohan, now living with his own family, would call to check up on her almost everyday before she started dusting. She almost couldn't stand to look at Goten, being so much in appearance like Goku, as they talked about anything other than the missing family member as they dined. She discovered her own sadness was taking a toll on him.

"Why don't you go out, Goten?" She says, hiding her glum face from him as she dries a plate. "You haven't visited with Trunks for weeks."

Goten wasn't fooled. His mother was trying to reassure him when she was the one who needed reassurance. That thought just made him more miserable. Since that day, Goten knew he was the only one that could maybe bring his Momma back to how she used to be. He couldn't turn to Gohan. Gohan had his own problems and couldn't help his mother and brother all the time. It was a weird feeling, to be the new man of the house. Even though he was nearly twenty-two, he hated it.

"It's fine, Mom," he says, handing her the next dirty dish. "I would rather stay here with you."

She lowers her head, trying her best not to look up at her son. "Momma?" The moment he says it, the searing pain returns to her. She lets out a deep sigh and closes her eyes in a vain attempt to block out her son's voice. Her cheeks twitches and she holds in more tears.

"How about... after we finish these dishes, you can send off to Trunks. You boys need to spend more time together." Goten knows by the sound of his Mom's voice that it was better to take the advice. Chi-chi tilts her head to one side and inspects her son's face. She holds her gaze for a few moments.

"Don't fret about me, Goten honey. I wish I could... If you knew..." The mother stops in mid-sentence to collect herself. Her eyes fall back towards her hands. "Things just out out of control with me before, that's all." In an effort to relive the pain Chi-chi stares up at the ceiling. She wrings the water out of the towel in the hands and concentrates on inhaling tiny puffs of air through her nose.

"I, ah... Alright, Mom." Goten replies in a calm voice.

...

Whenever Gohan felt depressed, Goten noticed his father-figure would bury himself in his work. The harder he seemed to apply himself, the happier he became. For the him, work was peace. And as for Goten, that wasn't the case. The younger brother never had as much luck in school as Gohan had. Instead Goten craved drinking. Not the best habit, but now, as a legal drinker, he had his best friend Trunks to keep him out of trouble when they visited the bar.

As his best friend trots through the door, Trunks turns away from the bar television and flashes a white smile. "You look as if you hadn't slept in days, bro."

Goten looks at the lavender haired man with darkened circles under his eyes. He lets out a loud sigh and raises his eye brows as he walks towards Trunks. Without blinking an eye, Goten nods his head. Trunks searches his best friend's eyes for any kind of reaction to his sarcasm.

The half-Saiyan plops down on the bar stool next to Trunks. "Margarita, please." Goten mumbles to the waitress. Without hesitation for her favorite customer, she snatches a shot and slides it over to him. "Thanks..." He closes his eyes.

"Glad we could finally meet up, Goten. How's things with your mom been?" Trunks studies his childhood friend's face. Goten glances uneasily at his glass. He throws back his head and swallows.

"I-I don't get it, Trunks." He finally answers. "I shouldn't have... Oh, listen, don't worry about it, dude. If you were me, you'd know it was nothing. Even after all these years, I'm always the one who get babied by you and Gohan. Don't worry about me, Okay?"

Trunks gives the dark-haired man a sly look, as if he knew something Goten didn't. Trunks places two fingers next to his right ear. "Yeah... Huh? Sorry, can't hear you, sir, I'm getting a lot of bullshit on this line." Trunks chuckles. He sneaks a look at his friend and lowers his act. "I'm just screwing with you, G-man. You don't look too great."

"I'm okay."

"No you're not." Trunks replies putting down his glass.

Goten was too tired to argue. He slumps down in the stool and takes a deep breath. He tells Trunks of the last six weeks. "I've been drinking myself stupid at home. I thought I could find answers - to Dad, to helping Mom deal with this- trying to numb myself. I feel guilty for thinking so ugly of my Dad. He _is_ the one trying to better the universe. And now, now I don't have Gohan at home anymore." He stops to gauge at Trunks response. He continues to sit with a concerned look on his face. "Isn't that what you tried to teach me; I mean, to become self-reliant? It's only at times like these is when I think I need more than myself." He says, frustrated and stops to lower his head.

Trunks took a moment to compose his thoughts. He did not want to screw up and give his friend bad advice. "You know, Goten. You're my brother. I can't fix your Mom, your Dad. Personally, I think you're dad's a bitch for leaving-"

"Trunks!"

"Goten, look at me. I mean- It's hard to accept, but even you know what the problem is; Admit Goku was wrong, for abandoning you again. He didn't even bat an eye at Chi-chi when he left. Doesn't that make you angry? Why are you trying to make up excuses for his behavior? Well...?"

"Stop it, Trunks," Goten hesitates as his throat tightens, just like when he was a boy, arguing with Trunks over who got the last piece of pie. Goten shakes his head, feeling embarrassed. He raises from his seat, holding back his emotions. He takes one last shot. "I'll catch you later." Trunks watches and says nothing as his best friend leaves.

As he left the bar, deep inside, he knew Trunks was right.

...

Trunks' hand drifts towards the Son family's door, ready to knock.

As small children playing at Goten's house, Trunks had realized with each passing day without Goku, the more Chi-chi slipped away, and the more she seemed depressed. But even back then whenever Gohan came home from school asking her how her day had been, she had always thought ahead of a story to cover her sadness.

Trunks hesitates as he tries to find the right words to greet Goten with when he opens the door.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that? No... Hey, Goten, you look great today? Too douche-y. How about..."

"Trunks?" Trunks head jerks up and his mouth hangs out. Trunks shakes his head."I thought I heard someone mumbling to themselves out here." She says sweetly.

"Chi-chi, sorry, I didn't expect you to answer." Trunks automatically responds. After a few seconds, the redness from his face disappears. The woman arches her eyebrow as he stand self-consciously before her. Trunks begins to wish he wore something more presentable rather than his usual jeans and leather jacket.

After a few moments of silence Chi-chi opens her mouth to speak, "Would you like to come in?" The sweetness in her voice fades. Almost awkwardly Trunks wanted so badly to run and hug her before she completely slips back away into her sadness. He blinks in confusions to himself as he re-thinks what he just thought.

"Goten just left to buy more groceries. I'm not sure when he'll be back." Chi-chi says.

"That's fine. If you don't mind, I'd like to wait here for him." Trunks croaks, and clears his throat. "He and I didn't leave on, well, the best note yesterday."

"That's fine, Trunks." She assures and he walks inside. In the living room, Trunks struggles out of his five hundred dollar leather jacket and dully throws it in his regular jacket spot on the couch. He sits down, then remembers what he brought. He fishes it out of his jeans pocket and pulls it out.

"I heard you weren't doing so while and I, uh, thought this might help you get your mind off things." Trunks kindly smiles at her and holds out a novel. "I heard you love reading this author, so I sent him a message and a couple hundred dollars to give me a pre-release of that novel he was writing. You're the first one to read it, he wanted me to tell you."

She faintly smiles and says a weak thank you. She grabs it and sets it down on a nightstand.

"You boys, don't worry about me. I'm a grown woman. I've taken care of myself before." For a moment, Chi-chi feels almost comfortable. More than she has been in weeks as she sits across the living room from Trunks. Trunks couldn't help but stare at her, as she did to him.

Chi-chi catches herself and breaks the awkwardly warm moment. "Ah, would you like tea, coffee, or water, hon?" She asks, turning her head away from the young man.

Trunks as well catches himself and once again clears his throat. "A glass of water. Thank you." He murmurs. Chi-chi scoots off her chair and scurries to the kitchen on the other side of the room.

Trunks' shoulders tenses. He shakes his head. _Why couldn't I stop myself from staring at her...?_

Chi-chi returns with a glass of iced water. "Here you are, Trunks."

"Thank you."

She walks past him, back to her seat, her boots clicking on the floor. "Are you sure you don't want anything else? I know how you Saiyans are. Whenever Goku came back from the woods, I would always have to fix him up a big dinner..." Her voice trails off, as her eyes lower.

Trunks expression darkens as well. "You miss him, don't you?" He whispers in a soothing voice. Without a second thought he puts his glass down and looks up at her face. Such a pretty face.

"No... no. Ah..." Chi-chi shakes her head, doing her best to hide her emotions. She's holding back tears. "If you could excuse me, please. I, uh...I just... I think I have laundry still in the dryer." She says flatly. The dark-haired woman raises from her seat across Trunks. This was not the time for her to bawl out like a child. She turns, casting a feigned smile, her eyes twinkling with tears.

"Chi-chi, you know I'm always here to listen." Trunks replies, trying to catch her gaze before she leaves the room. He doesn't hear her reply.

The bathroom door shuts with a click. The last thing he hears is Chi-chi silently crying.


	3. Confliction

_**Please add this to your follow/favorite alerts because the rating will go up to M and probably won't show up in the category unless you specifically choose an M rating. Thanks **_

Trunks softly raps on the door, soon following his request to come in. "Please, let me in and we can talk about this." He spoke softly. How pitiful and young she sounded as she sobbed. In a breathless gush her words spill forth. "You couldn't understand why I feel as I do right now, Trunks! I've been troubled so much since he left. Was it my fault he did? I don't know what to do. I keep thinking of Goten and Gohan and how terrible they must feel. I think about me and how lonely _I_ feel!"

Astonishment widens his eyes. "Your fault? It was his choice, Chi-chi, you can't blame yourself." Her frail, whispering voice disturbed Trunks. He could not stand to listen to a woman cry. Or anybody. It broke his heart. Chi-chi reminded Trunks so much of Pan, almost alike in some ways, for Pan cried many times when they were stuck in space together. He shakes his head, pulling himself out the thoughts of yesterdays and turns his full concentration on the moment now.

"Cry, Chi-chi, go on. You have enough to cry about. But, please, will you at least open this door?" Trunks murmurs, tightening his grip on the bathroom door knob.

Chi-chi glances fearfully at his shadow beneath the door. She quiets herself, embarrassed for Bulma's son to see her like this. She could faintly hear Trunk's regular, heavy breathing through the door. Every word of what he said was only too frighteningly true. And calming. A world of difference from his Saiyan Prince father. Trunks was actually a gentle guy for the fact he was Vegeta's son. She soundlessly crouches to her knees.

By now, Trunks couldn't decide whether to open the door or not. However, even if it was unlocked, he certainly couldn't bust in on the poor woman. Again, he nudges the door, knowing leaving her like she asked would only make him look bad; yet he fears the second he'd open the door, she'd whirl about and run away from him.

Still she keeps her face buried in her knees. Her head lifts, stained with tears. Chi-chi stares at her knees with big eyes of guilt, shame, but there was some element of hope there as well. Oh, how stubborn he was, just like his father.

"Please, just leave. Leave me alone." She says softly while keeping her arms around her legs for support, trying to control her flow of tears, trying to bury the feeling inside that Trunks ' presence actually made her feel better.

Trunks grew impatient with this talking through the door nonsense. If she wasn't going to come out, he was coming in, whether she liked it or not. "Chi-chi," He begins with control. "I'm not going to do that. You're not accomplishing anything but making yourself miserable. I'm coming in." He took a deep breath and hears her protest. He turns the door latch, half expecting to find it locked. It wasn't. He steps inside with one foot, quietly closing the door behind him.

Chi-chi could feel him eyeing her as if she was a pitiful object who couldn't take care of herself. Her face lowers into her legs as her arms grip around her shins. She clung to herself. "What the hell is wrong with you, Trunks? You can't just barge in on me while I'm in the bathroom!" Her face lifts, flushed red with anger. Somehow this served only to make her look more pitiful to Trunks.

She hesitates when he doesn't answer. "Leave!" Her voice cold and hard. Her body shoots upright and by reflex, begins to shove Trunks. By this time Chi-chi was hysterical. She opened her mouth to curse him again, but he quickly stops her. His hands come up to embraces her tightly. "Hey!" She cries louder, turning to beat at him with small, but strong fists. After a few moments she breaks down in his arms.

"I wish he'd never left... I told him it would be a mistake, going with that dragon, the worst mistake of our lives, and now I'm paying..." On and on saying that until finally her voice went and she rests her face in his shirt.

"Tell me not to worry anymore..." She murmurs in a weak way. She gives herself into Trunks' arms and smothers her face against his shirt.

"You'll never need to worry anymore. I'm here, Chi-chi... I'm here..." Trunks whispers in the calmest voice, soothing her with words of assurance. His lavender hair fell over her as he bows his head against hers and places his much larger hand on the small of her back.

And on she cries. She cries for not having the strength or the courage to accept what happened. She's too tired. The years of constant loneliness has sucked her life force out of her. She begins to feel lightheaded. The closer he pulls her, the more she feels herself drift off. Her knees stop quivering. Her fingers loosen from digging into his arms.

Her mind spins as Chi-chi fights to remember her memories with Goku. As newly weds, she knew by the sound of her love's voice what type of day was in store for her. Whether he was going off to get wood for the fire or leaving the Earth for the next five years. Why was it so easy for him to leave her?

By the time they got married, she vowed to be the best possible wife for him. For years she did all that she could to think positive, to some how manage through. Even then she somehow thought that things would eventually return to the good times she had when they were younger. She truly believe that Goku would one day wake up and see how much he missed her. As a new mother, rocking baby Gohan in her arms, she thought the worst of it was over and that their baby would finally convince him to settle down with their family.

And then Raditz showed up. Goku's brother had kidnapped her baby and ever since that day, things took a turn for the worst. At times she would become so frantic to protect her son, she'd banish him to his studies to make sure he was safe from any fighting or training. But even before the fight with Cell, she knew what her son's outcome would be. It got to the point that she 'd become numb. One day when Gohan wanted to go training with Goku, she dared herself to let them without giving it a thought. Gohan got only as far as five feet before she spun around and begged him to stay inside. Even her son had put the Earth first and she knew she'd always come last in their eyes.

She pauses for a breath and her thoughts leave from Goku and turns to the man holding her, Trunks. His bright sapphire eyes rivets down on her. Her heart quickens as her head lowers. Now he was confident, holding her close, his cheek pressed against her head as they stood. She lifts her small pale hands again and holds to his brood chest.

Then she stares at her hands as if they'd betrayed her. She feels a chilling shiver race down her spine, making her feel confused. Making her feel ashamed.

_Don't appeal to him, Chich, this isn't a real feeling. How can I do this after all those years with Goku? I go year after year loving him, needing and trusting he will come back. Yet I ask myself each day how can I come home and not be tired of his choices? _Chi-chi swallows over the lump that rose in her throat.

_I want to run, I want to stay. But this is Goten's best friend! I am nearly the same age as Bulma. Why can I allow myself to think of him this way? I don't want to be alone anymore..._

Trunks wonders what Chi-chi is thinking, and why she didn't bother to move away in an intimate moment like this. Was she trying to decide whether to pull away or was she afraid to?

_I know you are tormented by all that happened with Goku. I can't leave you alone. Not now. Maybe it wasn't a bad idea to visit you. But never once did it cross my mind to...to...Oh, I can't think like that! Goten is my brother, he'd never forgive me! _Trunks' heart pounds as he strokes her back.

His breath was hot against her skin. Suddenly she feel his resolute manhood bearing down on her stomach. "Oh my goodness." She whispers aloud. Shock and desire seeps through her body. Her heart races and her breath quickens becoming aware of the awkward movement. Quickly she backs away. An intense scarlet flushes into her cheeks, as well as Trunks.

Trunks just stands there, conflicting thoughts torturing in his mind. "Oh!"

Why hadn't he stopped himself when he felt it coming on?


	4. Hate is too Great a Burden to Bear

Trunks is too shocked to move. He's paralyzed with a strange, unfamiliar need, completely captivated by her. He stares at Chi-chi and she looks up at him, her gaze hooded and darkening. She's breathing harder than usual, and Trunks has stopped breathing all together. She actually turned him on! With a woman of her age, why does she have such an unnerving effect on him? Trunks' face flushes, matching Chi-chi's scarlet cheeks.

He's staring into her eyes, and she can't help but hold his anxious, burning gaze. Eventually her attention is drawn to his beautiful mouth. She forces herself to shut her eyes. And for the first time in years, she knows she wants someone. She wants to feel her mouth on his. _NO!_ Her mind yells at her. The only thing she can think is that she wants to be kissed, but with her best friend's son? _He doesn't want me_. He doesn't really want her...She's a married woman, after all.

"Thanks for the book," She breathes, finding her voice. "Thank you. But I think you should leave now." How could she have ever put herself in this situation? _I need to get away from him._

"Chi-chi...I..." He stops. She peers up at him. His blue eyes are bleak. He looks torn, frustrated, his expression stark.

"What, Trunks?" She snaps irritably after him.

"Good luck with the rest of your day. I hope you're okay now," He murmurs. "I'm... so sorry, Chi-chi. I didn't mean to well...you know." He takes a deep breath and turns on his heel without giving her a second glance. _Get it together, Briefs. _He heads out the door.

Once the door shuts and she hears him go, she leans back against the bathroom wall and puts her head in her hands. What was she thinking? Unwelcome tears pool back into her eyes. _Why am I crying?_ She sinks to the ground, angry at herself to doing such a thing with another man. How senseless of her! Drawing up in her knees, she folds in on herself. She lets the irrational tears fall and she's crying over the loss of something she never had. Never should have.

...

I'm laying in my bed when I hear my son arrive. His welcoming smile fades when he sees me. "Momma, what's wrong?"

Oh no...not Goten's baby voice. I shake my head in a back-off-Goten way - but I might as well be dealing with a blind person.

"You've got to - I'm sorry to say- get over this, Mom." Goten always had an exceptional gift to pointing out the obvious. He stands, his black eyes brimming with concern. He puts his arms around me and hugs me. I smell cheap perfume on him. No wonder he was out late. I need to say something just to get him off my back.

"I just found some old clothes of your father's earlier." It's the best thing I can think of.

"I'm not surprised. How was coffee with Trunks? I heard he came over."

"I had tea. It was fine, nothing much." The thought of him bring a pang of embarrassment over her. "I'm fine, Goten honey. How was the apartment?" As ever, distraction is the best policy.

It's only after my youngest son leaves after telling me he was to move out within the next few days that I allow my mind to drift through my strange day. I'm angry to ever allow another man to hold me as he did. Maybe I should have pounced on that fact sooner, before I was in his arms. He wouldn't want me. I've seen some of that boy's girlfriends and I am nothing compared to them. Idly, I wonder if perhaps his _erection_ was a mishap. I close my eyes and begin to drift. No! I am as old as his mother. Trunks, at his age, would not want anything to do with an old lady.

I roll to my side and the moons shines on my face through my window.

Those lavender tresses and darling blue eyes...I sigh to myself. Such a perfect combination of both his parents. As smart as my dear Bulma and, though it took a while to admit to myself, sexy like Vegeta. Minus to scary looking part in his father. He's hardly a scary man, gentle even. To put the cherry on top, he was the CEO and president of Capsule Corp. Exactly the type of man any woman would want. With a shake I clear my head. I need to dash my hopes.

Meanwhile...

"Damn it!" I scold myself. "I can't believe I'd allow myself to do... that! She's as old as your mother, Trunks!" I have never been on the receiving end of rejection. Maybe that's the reason why I feel like this. "Stop. Stop this now!" I nearly yell in frustration. "I'm going to take a shower."

I let out the breath I've been holding. Why was she so damned attractive? Right now I want to go and join _her_ in the shower... I've never felt this way about anyone. My hormones are racing.

Back at the Son house...

I lie back on my soft feather-filled pillows.

I fell in love with Goku because of his humbleness. So kind, so sweet, going out of his way to help everyone. However, it seemed he treated everyone _too_ equal. Even me! Why was I so naive to see how he really was? I never would have guessed back then that he'd leave me like he did! Always, always on the go. Hell, Vegeta isn't even like that!

Other than the situation this morning, Goku's the only man who has ever set the blood racing in my veins. Yet, he's so confusing, difficult, and even dumb sometimes.

But Trunks. He cared enough to come and see to that I was alright. "Would he stay with me...Forever?"

Trunks' late night shower...

Still older - and attractive, very attractive. Her shiny black hair and big, dark eyes. So... Intimidating. Not a lady to take crap from anyone. Well, maybe expect the bastard Goku. And that schedule of hers is way too large for just one woman. She does manage to get it all done. So devoted.

"Those lunches she'd get out of her way to make Goten and I when we were kids..." She always looked after us. She wasn't nearly as beautiful as those other woman I had flings with.

My mind is suddenly paralyzed with apprehension. What if we actually got together? How would affected our lives? How would that look?

Chi-chi's bed...

What on Earth do I have in common with him? If we got together... Oh no... Goten would be crushed. Gohan wouldn't approve. But yet, they're so understanding...

Trunks' walks out, drying his hair in a towel...

"Bulla would be grossed out by me." He says to himself. "Goten would try to kill me." He places the towel on the laundry bin as he walks out of the bathroom. "And Dad would kick my ass."

Both of them...

"It's my life. I'll live how I please. Goku is never coming back. Everyone will just have to learn to deal with it."

a/n* Finally an update. I'm planning to update twice a week, though I've been very busy with high school. THANK YOU ALL FOR READING, I appreciate it! Please review!


	5. Sweet Child of Mine

The next morning Chi-chi is debating what to cook Goten for his last day at home when the doorbell rings. Standing on her doorstep is her eldest son, Gohan, clutching a bouquet of roses and groceries.

"Mother! Great to see you!" Gohan leans forward and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Come in, sweetheart." Chi-chi grabs the groceries from his hands and they walk inside. "Thank you for these, honey."

"I have news." Gohan grins, his dark eyes twinkling. He pauses for a moment for anticipation. "I got promoted!" The excitement in his voice is palpable.

"That's amazing- congratulations!" Delighted for her son, she hugs him. "I made breakfast this morning. I had a feeling one of my boys would visit me today." He beams at her. The mother and son automatically head in the kitchen, stepping over Goten's moving boxes. As Gohan sits down, Chi-chi knows her son is going to tell a blow-by-blow account of every detail in his promotion.

"Let's celebrate. I want you to come to my office party." Gohan looks intently at his mother. She watches her son from the sink as he chews on a piece of bacon. He's tall, and in his office outfit, he's all shoulders and muscles, pale skinned like her, dark hair, and understanding dark eyes. He reminded her so much of the man she married. Gohan looks up and smiles at Chi-chi.

"You can tell me all about what happened while I start on these dishes, then I really should start getting on my chores." His mother mutters. Strands of hair escaped from her bun, making her look more tired than usual.

Gohan's heart swells as he watches his mom, and a huge lump forms in his throat. She has been his constant through all of Goku's ups and let downs. They have a special bond that he treasures. Now that he was working and Goten was moving out, he can't imagine how lonely she must feel.

"Actually Mother, I came to see how you were getting by. Goten phoned me late last night. We talked and it didn't sound like you were doing as well as you were telling me," He says simply. "I think Trunks asked about you, too..." He pauses for a moment and continues. "We can talk about it. You know..._Goku_." His father's name awkwardly slips out of his mouth. The young Saiyan's eyes hover over his breakfast.

He senses his Mother's disinclination and glances at her.

Ch-chi feels her cheeks heating up and harshly tucks a strand of loosen hair behind her ear. "It's fine, dear," Her tone is stern and terse. Gohan gazes innocently at her. She frowns.

"Did you need me to come over more often? I'll take a day off work tomorrow." The young Saiyan prompts as he glances down at his watch. Once again, her son doesn't catch on that she isn't in the mood for this. Chi-chi refrains from rolling her eyes at him.

"Gohan...I'm fine and..." She stops, and the aggravation in her voice makes him peer up at her for a long moment. He sees her dark eyes are bleak as she tightly grips the dish she scrubs. She looks frustrated, her expression stark, all her careful control has evaporated.

"I think maybe we should hire a maid for you, Mother. This cleaning and working is not good for your health." His voice is quiet.

_A maid?! WHAT? Do I seem like the woman who needs shit to be done for her? NO. _An annoyed groan creeps it's way up from Chi-chi's throat as she unknowingly grips the plate tighter. After a last wipe of it dry, she slaps it down on the counter with a loud crack. Chi-chi looks down, surprised at herself.

Gohan's mouth drops open. He is staggered by this outburst. The half Saiyan quickly shuts it and swallows nervously. Gohan watches his mother, who is now intensely gazing in the sink. He remembered when she did things like this when their father left while he was a teenager. He knew he was risking pushing the wrong button on her.

"Can you, _puh-lease,_ stop worrying about me every time we talk? 'Mom, did you take your anti-depressants? Mom, do you need someone to keep you company? Mom, make sure you eat today!' Is that all you boys think about? I can take care of myself!" She breathes in for a long moment and shuts her eyes.

Why does everyone treat her like a orphaned child when her husband leaves? She wasn't dependent on him at all! Chi-chi was so sick of this! That's all they look at her as; a poor and lonely housewife. _But you are lonely, Chi-chi_ says her inner conscience. Of course she was. It was true she hated to be left alone by Goku, who left a bloody void in her broken heart.

It was no wonder she nearly fell head over heels when a certain lavender haired Saiyan finally came to console her! It couldn't have completely been her fall when it happened. He held her so close. For a split second sweet, young, caring Trunks mesmerizes her mind away. His shirt, open at the collar, and the jeans that hung from his waist. Those pale blue eyes that watched her with pity. It warms her heart.

"Mom?" Gohan repeats louder. "Still with me?" He frowns. Chi-chi didn't even hear her son as she wandered off. "I've got an meeting with Pan's teachers soon. I hope you don't mind." He takes one last sip from his glass and leans back in the chair to leave. She blinks at him. _Oh no. _A shower of guilt flooded her feelings. It was just like before; Gohan taking the heat from Chi-chi whenever she had an outburst. She shifts uncomfortably next to teh sink and turns her head. She isn't brave enough to look at him, much less apologize. She wasn't sure, but the dark-haired woman could tell her son caught her in mid-daydream as well.

"No, that's fine." Chi-chi acquiesce. Gohan slips a comb out from his breast pocket and runs it quickly through his hair. _There is something off about you this time around, Mom. _His lips quirk up in a forced half smile as he pushes in the table chair. "Just... Try not to stress out," He steps over to his mother. "Okay?" He leans forward and plants a kiss on her cheek.

She ignores him. After telling her who to call if she needed anyone to speak to, he was out the door, pronto. "Gohan...oh." Her sigh is exasperated. Asking her son for forgiveness wasn't going to be easy when he's calls that evening.

After skipping the rest of her chores, she climbed into the bed Goku and her used to share. The last few weeks she found it hard to sleep. No different this time as her head buzzed with conflictions of her old love life and her new interest. It was all so confusing to her. The idea of Trunks and her having a relationship seemed so easy to understand yesterday. But the thought of the way Gohan would react filled her mind when she watched her son leave. Would he do the same as his father did and leave? Would Goten?

**_a/n* I wrote this pretty quick, if there are any mistakes, please let me know. Thanks for reading!_**


	6. If You Were Mine

It's very quiet. The light outside is muted by the blinds in her room. She's almost comfortable and warm in her bed. _Sleep is good..._ Her mind begins to slip into a nap when she opens her eyes. Nap time isn't a good idea. She's slacked too much today.

Chi-chi has been sobbing herself down for the last hour. Fractured memories of the previous years with her babies were slowly coming back to haunt her. The sound of Goten's crying - _ oh no, the Goten-eyes. _The days Gohan would have to work on his homework late at night after playing with Goten during the day. _My poor babies! _-The year Goten came up to ask why he's never met his Daddy before. _I can't think of this anymore. _

She cringes inwardly. There's suddenly the sound of the phone ringing. Her heart skips a beat. She quickly suppresses it and answers the call. It was unusual early to get any calls. _I wonder who this could be..._

"Yes, hello?" She mumbles.

"Er, good morning, Chi-chi. How are you feeling?" Her stomach makes a back flip, and she can't find her voice. _Holy heck it's Trunks. _The memories of the night before rush into her once again. His breathing, his body...She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes.

Trunks bites his lip, anxiously waiting for her to answer. _She's probably thinking up an excuse to hang up. Hell. _He has no idea what she's thinking. He so desperately wants to know whether or not Chi-chi was mad at him for the... incident. _She's probably disgusted by what happened, but I couldn't help it! Chi-chi will understand, right?_

"Um, better than I should, I suppose." Her voice is small, contrite. The dark-haired woman's head swims, shocked for him to call. In the back of her mind, she's almost happy for him to actually call. Would this mean Trunks was thinking of her? Could he possibly be _interested_ in her? _Why am I wondering this?_

"Have you been crying, Chi-chi?" She could hear his mood shift from awkward to concerned. She couldn't help but feel fuzzy inside of him.

"Ah, n-no..." Her voice is quieter. "Look, Trunks, I can't talk ri-"

"After what happened, I really just want to know if you're _upset_ with me, Chi-chi." Trunks closes his eyes as he clutches the phone closer toward his face. Dread etched on his face. "I hate to think you wouldn't want to talk to me anymore. I just wanted to help yesterday. That's it."

_He wants to know if I'm upset with him! _She flushes. These feelings were so new to her. Chi-chi hasn't felt this way since Goku. "Trunks, I'm not mad." She could hear his long held breath release. "In fact... I'm just confused. I don't know." Her voice trails off. She cocks her head to one side and runs a hand through her silky, dark hair.

Trunks stands up in disbelief with the phone in his hand. "Really? Wow! That takes a load off." He scrambles to throw on his jeans. "I'll come over there right now so we can talk. I really have been thinking and I need to tell you something." Once his jeans are on, he grabs his beater, about to dart out of his room.

"No! Not now, er..." She leaps up from her bed too. "Uh, look, just come over tomorrow. After breakfast." Her eyes widen in surprise at how eager he sounds to come. She knew by experience how fast Saiyans were at getting places.

Trunks stops mid-way through the door. His eyes narrow. "Huh?" He slowly retreats back into his room. "Oh. Y-yes, that's fine. Ha, ah, sorry, I didn't even realize you might have been busy."

"It's fine..." She closes her eyes and lies back on soft feather-filled pillows, relieved.

"Tomorrow after breakfast." He says with a grin.

"Tomorrow after breakfast." She reassures.

...

"And she just stood there with glazed eyes, completely blocking out what I was saying," Gohan's voice is reprimanding. "I'm telling you, Videl, Mom's lost it. First she breaks a plate, then she gazes out the damn window as if she was in love or something! I can't help but worry about her. I..." The half Saiyan pauses as he worrying fidgets with his fingers. This post-dinner evening was oddly quiet for Pan was spending a night with the Briefs.

"Oh, Gohan. Would you please quit with all your worrying?" She lays her head on his shoulder as she watches the evening news. "She'll be alright. My mother-in-law was always tough enough to bounce back before, don't you agree?" The ex-fighter says to him, taking his hand in hers.

"No. It's been six weeks, honey. I can't help but think..." Gohan trails off petulantly. Videl looks up from the television to her husband. "What is it, Gohan?" She raises an eyebrow.

He shrugs. "Listen," He forces his fingers to quit fluttering. "It seems almost as if her mind's been occupied with something else. Or someone else." He speaks carefully.

"Sweetie, are you saying what I think you're saying?!" She can't help to hid the disbelief in her voice.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Videl!" Gohan abruptly pushes his fists into the couch and leans forward to stand up. "You'd be amazed at how easily I can read my mother." He says dryly, looking down at his wife. Before Videl could question him on his outburst, Gohan interrupts her train of thought.

"I really don't understand. Do you think she's actually found someone else? Do you think that's why she's been down for so long; she thinks she's being unfaithful to my dad?" He takes a deep breath and swallows. "Gohan, calm down. You're getting too riled up, hon." She puts out her hand for him to come sit back down.

"There is no doubt in my mind that she was just thinking about your dad," Her eyes soften, and her lips turn up in a smile to him. "Not a doubt." Gohan shrugs and looks almost apologetic. Videl's mind wanders back when they were young. Goku was dead when she began to date Gohan. His brother was so young to be put through a fatherless childhood. Her husband had to grow up fast in order to help out his own family before he even hit high school. The memory depresses her.

"Do you really think so?" His voice is quiet and soft.

Her mouth quirks up again and she giggles. "You're her son, not her father. Stop trying to act like it."

He frowns at her lack of seriousness in his situation. "This isn't funny, I'm sincerely worried!" His mouth presses into a hard line. "Plus with her telling me not to be concerned about her is making me twice as worse."

Videl quirks an eyebrow at him. It wasn't his character to take offense to her jokes. "I'm sorry, babe. All I can say is to give Chich some same, perhaps. Give it time." She leans over to plant a glossy kiss on the side of her husband's lips. "Trust me. Things always work out. I mean, look at Buu!" She wickedly grins and Gohan can't help but return a chuckle. He reaches his arm over her shoulders and embraces her close. "I hope you're right, Videl. I hope you're right."

a/n* Hello reader. Again, if there are any mistakes please point them out to me. I wrote this one in just the hour or so. Thanks and PLEASE REVIEW.


	7. Accept our Fate

Chi-chi showered, washed her hair, then spend a good hour drying it so it didn't look greasy when Trunks came. It was odd for the middle aged woman to actually be concerned about her appearance today. She even slipped on some lip gloss.

Trunks came as planned after breakfast. Taking a deep breath and mentally planning out what to say, he heads for the door. He stands for a few moments in the entrance of Chi-chi's house after knocking.

She answers the door. Trunks is casually leaning against the door way. He's dressed in his customary Capsule Corp. linen shirt, purple jeans, and a black jacket. His lavender hair is long and tousled as ever. For a few seconds inside her home, she was gazing at him, admiring the view. He glances nervously down when he sees her. After blinking a couple of times, she gives a slow, lazy smile.

"Come in, Trunks." She moves back and he walks inside, shutting the door behind him.

Trunks gracefully follows Chi-chi to the kitchen table. He slides into a chair. _Well, at least she let me in - that's a good sign._

"What would you like to drink?" She asks Trunks, hovering toward the fridge.

"I'll have what you're having, please." He replies softly. Putting elbows on the table, he steeples a finger to his mouth. _Play it smooth, T._

Chi-chi carefully sets down two cold glasses of iced tea on the table. She slips down into a chair. Her dark eyes shoot up to meet his blue ones. "How's work been recently?" She quickly asks, getting out of the awkward moment.

"Good, actually." He answers. His fingers reaches for the glass and pops the straw into his mouth. "Thank you." She blinks, and he smiles an adorable lopsided smile at her. She flushes.

After a few moments he opens his mouth. "Okay," He speaks carefully. "I feel terrible about the other night. The bathroom." He looks away and takes another large sip of tea. "I didn't mean to well... You know." He says after setting the cup down.

"No, Trunks, you don't need to apologize." She responds spontaneously, not thinking. She takes a breath. "I shouldn't have gotten so emotional." The pale woman continues feeling slightly embarrassed. She takes a sip of iced tea.

"You were put in a bad situation. You have every right to cry," He says quietly. "I can see that you are hurt, lonely..." He pauses and looks up. "Oh, shit. I didn't mean to call you lonely. I'm -"

"Don't. I get what you're trying to say," She interrupts, leaning forward a bit. "It's-It's okay.

"You're right, anyways" She says softly, looking down at her hands wrapped around the cup. "I've been forlorn for a long time. Not just now, but... All those years when Goku left me." She trails off and Trunks senses her becoming more distant.

He peeks up at her small pale face. The look on her depresses him. "Look at me, Chi-chi."He says, his gaze intense at her. Seconds tick by. He slowly reaches his large hand forward and connected with hers on the glass. He pries it away and holds her small hand. _What am I doing? _His inner self asks him.

She glances up at him and shifts in her seat. A second later she feels the gentle strength of his hand squeezing hers. She involuntarily gasps. _Oh my gosh. This man is so different from Goku. He speaks so wise. Like he genuinely understands me_. She blushes.

"There's no need to be lonely anymore. I'm here for you. Chi-chi." The younger Prince Saiyan breathes. He runs his other hand to meet her free one, regarding her carefully. Trunks was now fully aware of what he was doing, but he didn't back off. He wanted her to know. To get the hint.

"Thank you." She murmurs, mesmerized at him. _Oh God, He's so passionate!_ She begins to relax in her seat. With all the tears and sadness that filled her for the last two days, she starts to see. She told herself for hours at night how bad it would be to admit what she felt for Trunks on that evening. Crying into his shirt. His strong hand caressing her back. His hot breath warming as she shed tears. "I don't regret what happened." She gazes for a moment, almost not realizing what she just said.

Trunks head swims with those words. _She's telling the truth, she means it..._ He thinks to himself, still grasping her hands across the table. He slightly frowns for a moment, mentally accessing what was happening. The moment they were having. _Take it easy, Trunks. _He needed to take this slow. They've barley talked since the last time he was over.

"You look lovely," He murmurs, his eyes unintentionally hovering down to her chest. "You really do..." Trunks nearly whispers, his voice warm. He couldn't take his eyes off her. Although her sleeveless dress came up to the middle of her neck, her breasts pushed against the fabric in a way he liked.

She swallows. _Holy crap, he's checking me out!_ Chi-chi couldn't decide whether or not she liked it. "Ahem, still with me?" His azure eyes pop back up to hers. His cheeks bleed scarlet.

_Fuck, Trunks! You did it again! _He nervously retracted his hands from hers, completely embarrassed once again. _And when it was all going to well._

"Would you like some more tea?" She asks, doing her best to ignore what just happened.

Trunks glances down at his cup, not noticing he'd sucked all the liquid down. "Er, uh, yes, please." He nods subtly. He let out a slow breath as she got up. He needs to manage his young adult hormones better. Reinforcing his thought, he stares down at his hands to refrain from looking at her behind.

_He was looking at my boobs... oh my. _She couldn't help but admit to herself that she could have squirmed her chest away while he was staring, but she couldn't help but let it happen. What would happen if she kept letting him do things like this? First his erection, then this. What's next?

She reaches in the fridge for the pitcher of tea. Bringing over to the counter with a cup, she continues to ponder.

She wasn't stupid. She caught onto his hints. If she allows this to happen...will they eventually be together? The single mother has never had moments like these with another man since a long while ago, but she knew in her heart she wanted them in her future. And that future certainly didn't include Goku. If she allows someone else into her love life, if he eventually rejects her, how would she cope with that again? Perhaps it's best to back away now with what self-esteem she has reasonably intact left.

Chi-chi flinches when the cold beverage spills over her fingers. "Shit!" The dark-haired woman cries out, tugging her hand away.

"What - What happened?" Trunks asks, being pulled from his own thoughts. He peers over to her and sees the mess. The Saiyan leaps up form his chair to grab the towel hanging next to her thigh. His fingers brush her leg as he pulls it up and wipes the tea from the counter.

"A little distracted, are we?" Trunks says with a chuckle. Chi-chi begins to turn red. "Well, I guess I'm a bit tired." She thanks him and grabs the towel from his hand.

"Perhaps I should go now. Vegeta wanted to spar with me today, " Trunks replies, fixing his collar, trying to get his eyes away from her breasts. "Thanks for having me over."

She peers up at his tanned, chiseled face. "It's - it's a pleasure - as always." She breathes politely, though she looked deep in thought, completely distracted. He turns suddenly, staring down at Chi-chi.

"Well, good-bye, dear Chi-chi," He sounds hesitant.

"Good-bye, Trunks." Her voice is hoarse from unbidden tears. _Jeez, I'm not going to cry, again. _She returns a small smile. As he leaves, tears start to fall. She really doesn't understand why she's crying. _He wants me, and I need him._


	8. I Only Want to be Wanted By You

_**Hi, I was going to post this next week, but since it's Sunday and there will be more of you on, I'll post it tonight. Enjoy. (and review c:)**_

The following evening, Chi-chi calls Trunks after finishing the rest of her washing. It's been a relatively quiet day in the Son house allowing her far too much time to think. The dark-haired woman is restless, thinking of the new Saiyan in her life, and at the back of her mind, worrying that perhaps she's being neglectful to Goten. _Perhaps he'll actually call me later._

She phones Trunks, who has just returned from an ass kicking day with his father, so their conversation is mercifully brief. "Thanks, Chi-chi. I'll come in the morning." He huffs through the phone. She closes her eyes. His voice gives her a warm glow inside.

"Excellent. Say hi to Bulma for me."

"Will do, Chi-chi. Bye."

She strays to the receiver and places the phone on it. Tentatively, she turns down the idea to call him back, to cancel. _This is it; our relationship will start here. Do I allow myself to do this or do I say no to myself, and then that's it for me? Because I know my love life will be over if I say no. _Idly, she goes into her room and dreams of messy, purple hair and baby blue eyes.

...

"Anything to eat?"

"No thank you." He shakes his head, and relaxes back in the chair.

Chi-chi surreptitiously gazes at him from beneath her eyelids as she sits herself down. He's built, broad shouldered, and slim. He flips a tress of his straight, lavender hair. She stares down at her hands wrapped around a coffee mug.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Trunks is now grinning and staring across the table at her. She blushes. _Oh, nothing particular, just about how handsome you look today. _She shakes her head no.

"Do tell." He prompts. His lips curl into a slight frown. He knows Chi-chi is thinking something. It gets quite irritating when people aren't straight-forward with him. She quickly grabs for a spoon of sugar and tips it into her coffee.

"I'm enjoying your company, Trunks." Her voice is quiet, wispy. As she takes the spoon out of her coffee, he cocks his head, and stares at her more closely.

"I feel the same, Chi-chi." His gaze holds hers. Chi-chi laughs, nervous. _He's waiting for you to tell him. Tell him._ She frowns and stares back down at her hands again. She takes a sip of her coffee, and Trunks leans forward.

"Well, I believe it's time for us to talk," She murmurs truthfully.

"That's why I came, silly." He smirks at her, now leaning back again. He crosses one leg over his thigh and throws and arm over the chair. _Oh my, he looks so confident._ Chi-chi thinks, her mouth opening slightly.

"We need to get to know each other more... closely," She starts. Trunks' hand comes up and rubs his chin as he listens. "before anything else."

The young Saiyan Prince nods. _What an odd choice of words. 'More closely'._

"I see. Tell me, do you get along here alone in the mountains now-a-days? Without Goten here?" Trunks asks.

"You could say that." She mutters. "The sunset is a great sight here during this time of year. The wind blows easy. It's been more quiet and less busy without my boy here, and I've began to notice things like that." Chi-chi smiles, feeling satisfied with her response.

Trunks raises his eyebrows, interested. "Is that so? Perhaps I could come up here sometime to enjoy those things with you." He grins at her. Once again, she flushes at this, and mentally pats herself on the back. _He's saying he wants to visit more often. Wow!_

"How's that novel of yours going?" He asks out of the blue.

"It's, er, a good distraction," She answers. She internally cringes at herself. _Hopefully th__at wasn't rude as I thought it sounded! _Truthfully, the pale woman has barely started the first chapter. _  
_

"Oh?" He gazes at her. A smile curls on his face and his eye glow at her. "Books aren't my thing. I wouldn't know."

Chi-chi takes another slip of the cooling coffee. "How was your evening with Vegeta?" She asks. She gingerly sets her mug down and turns her attention to his young face.

He chuckles, his laugh soft and comfortable. "An ass whoopin' to say the least. On both ends." He grins to himself. "I don't think he understands I can't fight for a living. He gets so sore at me when I don't spar with him as often as I did when I was younger. I'm only human, you know? Well, half."

He sits back in the chair and they both share a laugh. "I see." She swoops her hand down and grabs a napkin to pat her lips with. Trunks rests an elbow on the table and blinks across at her pretty face. The much younger half human gazes at those pink lips, wishing he didn't have the barrier of the table to stop him. _This is so frustrating, yet so comfortable. _He thinks, desperate to touch her.

"You must not have eaten today, are you sure you don't want anything?" Chi-chi smiles shyly at him.

"You must not have eaten either, by the looks of it, Chi-chi." He says, playfully. "But thank you."

She looks away and blinks at the same time, as he stares at her. _He's observing me. _Her brow furrows. "I haven't had much of an appetite the last few weeks."

"Do you need anything? Groceries?" his voice is suddenly serious. "I really wouldn't want you to ration food just because Goten isn't here to bring groceries home everyday."

She frowns. _Is he suggesting to buy me my groceries? NO!_ Chi-chi hid her annoyance by smiling. "It's not that at all. I may be alone out here in the mountains, but I can manage to get what I need." She can't help to hide her sass. _  
_

"Sure, " He answers, his face returning playful. "It's probably the result of all those pills your taking." His eyes point toward the slightly open cabinet next to the window.

She peeks up to the open door, then at him, looking amused. _How bold of him. I didn't expect him to just throw that out there! _However, he was right. The anti-depressants and other such pills Gohan had prescribed for her has really messed up her eating happens. Since... that day, she'd lost nearly 20 pounds."That's no one's business. Especially not yours, Trunks." She says nothing more as she sips her coffee, sitting up a little straighter. _Heh, that'll give them something to think about._

He glances at her, his face almost a slight shade darker of crimson.

"I think we covered some _close_ topics. If that was you meant anyways," The lavender-haired man says jokingly, looking pleased with him. "How was it?"

She nods slowly, and then she grins, teasing, "We've hardly scratched the surface of our modern lives. There's still plenty more we should learn about each other."

Trunks' flips a tress of purple hair out of his line of sight once again. "Well, I suppose. Though I've known you my entire life, you seem must have plenty of secrets waiting for me to pry out of you." An infectious, seductive smile appears on his face.

Her heart leaps into her mouth and a shade of red flushes onto her face. _Whoa... That was... interesting._ "Oh, uh, yes." She sits staring at his chest, immobile. _Chi-chi, stop acting like a fourteen year old!_ She scolds herself internally._  
_

Suddenly, a loud ringtone blurts out, under the table. He fishes a cellphone from his back pocket, and holds it up to his face. He frowns when he begins to read whatever was on the screen.

"Chi-chi, I have to go. I'll see you and I'll have more to talk about next time... and then we can really start this" Trunks scoots back in his chair to stand up. He glances at the clock above the door way. "It's nine-thirty...Shit."

"You're leaving?" She unknowingly says out loud. "Where?" Chi-chi surprisingly found herself not wanting Trunks to go. It hasn't even been a full half hour.

"Capsule Corp. has a biological meeting I need to attend, pronto." He warily looks down at her. They gaze at each other for a moment. Then his lips twitch into a smile. "I really wish I could stay. Sorry."

Hesitantly, she clambers to her feet. She watches as he walks into the living room and gathers his jacket at the front door. Chi-chi opens the door for him and stands helpless in the living room of the house she'll have to spend another night alone in. A place she lived almost happily for years when Goku was still with her. With Trunks however... She wants to see him more, but still, it's too early. They need to take it slow.

"Could you come again?" She murmurs, avoiding eye contact. "I mean, so we can talk more."

"Of course," Trunks assures, zipping his new jacket. "Tomorrow." Suddenly he grabs her around the shoulders. Before Chi-chi could do anything, he has her in his friendly grasp. After a moment, she gives in as well, putting one arm around his strong torso and hugging. He lets go first. His blue eyes gaze down at her and winks.

"Call me anytime. For anything." He walks down the short path and leaps into the air. She's seen this happen so many times in her life, it seems normal. He doesn't look back as he flies off toward Capsule Corp. The pale woman feels herself getting dreamy eyed.

When his figure is too small to concentrate on, she closes the door. _I feel lonely here. _She thinks, unhappy with her own company. _Am I straying from myself and who I was? __  
_

"He's so reliable. Unlike Goku was..." She says out loud to herself without knowing. Chi-chi wanders into her bedroom. One by one she begins to take anything with a trace of Goku on it and places them in one of the last empty boxes Goten left behind.

Twenty minutes later, she climbs into the attic and switches the overhead light on. She squints as the dust floats in her face. _What have I gotten myself into?_ Very slowly, her tears begin to slide down the side of her face. _If I had really fallen for Trunks, if I'm going to get anywhere with him...I will only get more hurt if I have these reminders of Goku around me. _

She is momentarily distracted when the first thing she takes out of the box is their wedding album.

_"You're still the only man for me, Goku."_

_"In Goku's young days... I was a lively young wife! And I'm still lively!"_

_"Not even I know... But, no matter how much he changes, Goku is still my beloved husband!"_

Each picture she flips through has a different memory from their broken relationship. She turns the front cover and stores it away in the attic.

Chi-chi rises up and flips off the switch.


	9. May I come in?

**Hi, reader, I hope you're enjoying this fic so far. There's still a lot more in store, so keep reading, and please review (:**

After a thorough finish of morning chores, Chi-chi steals into the bathroom. She slips into a less wrinkled dress, and climbs into a pair of clean boots. The dark-haired woman removes the bun from her hair and hastily brush out the tangles. Looking up, she checks herself in the mirror. Eyes bright, cheeks slightly flushed, but... _Oh my! I look so... old._

The corners of her mouth drop. She starts to feel tired, once again. She doesn't ever remember looking this old. Her mood shifts immediately, and part of her wants to call the whole thing off with Trunks. She scowls in frustration at herself in the mirror. Damn her age. Damn her for trying. She is treating her face as if she was twenty years old again. Hell, that was probably one of the years she even cared to look presentable for anyone other than Goku. She's beginning to regret giving herself so little time to make up her face.

Unwelcome tears begin to fall from her eyes, the more she stares at her reflection. The more flaws she points out to herself: _I'm too pale, too skinny, too messy_. Her long mental list of faults goes on. She has always known Goku to accept her for how she was. Only he had sparked her - until Trunks came along. Perhaps she just needs a good cry.

A sudden knock echos from the front door. Her head swings in the direction. _Okay, Chich. Stop now! _She metaphorically scolds herself. Chi-chi takes a deep, steadying breath and wipes the remaining tears from her face. She heads for the door, pulling up her hair in a bun as she does. _Get a hold of yourself Chi-chi._

"Hello, Trunks." She suddenly feels her dark eyes twinkling at how handsome he looked. He's merely not good-looking - he's a prince of beauty. Butterflies flutter down in her stomach. Clearly she was not the only one staring at themselves in the mirror this morning.

Trunks' welcoming smile fades when he sees her. "Chi-chi, what's wrong?"

_Ah, crap. _She feigns a confident smile.

"You've been crying." Trunks points out, noticing her tear stained face. He stands, his blue eyes brimming with concern. He puts gentle hands on her much smaller shoulders. "What is it? Are you thinking of him? Is it Goku again?"

"I scrapped my finger while washing." It's the best that she can do, but it distracts him momentarily from... Goku.

"Gee, Chi-chi - Is that the best you can pull?" He holds her out at arm's length and chokes out a laugh. "C'mon. Let's get inside. Then you can tell me the truth." They make their way onto the old, stuffy couch in the family room. Trunks sinks inches into the couch, forcing Chi-chi to hold herself from falling into his side with the arm rest.

"Now, please, tell me the truth. Why is it that you're crying?" He sounds concerning, but his tone is mild. She nods shyly, and his eyes light up. She could tell he didn't expect her to be _that _easy today. _  
_

"Don't you laugh when I tell you, Trunks," She sits up a faces him. Trunks gives her a don't-be-ridiculous look. "Do I look old?" Chi-chi can't keep the wounded hurt out of her voice.

"Of course not!" He rolls his eyes. Sitting beside her, his whole body turns to her. Reaching over, he tucks an escaped strand of hair behind her ear with his finger. Her body comes alive at his touch. "Don't ever say that again. You're never going to be old to me." He laughs.

She withdraws her pale hand hastily from her lap to her mouth, her eyelids still as he peers at him. For some inexplicable reason, she finds herself blushing. "In fact, you look as stunning as ever." He continues, his voice soft, and simple.

"O-oh my Dende," She stutters to herself. Chi-chi smooths the hair Trunks tucked behind her ear again. She used to do this when she was younger, a little girl. Her heartbeat quickens. Trunks pauses and fixes her with a blue stare.

"You alright?" He says with a trace of pride in his tone. He mentally hugs himself. _Man, am I slick or what? _ He stifles a smile and places a confident hand on her shoulder. Her cheeks glow rose when he touches her. _She sure blushes a lot._

"I'm fine. It's just been a long time since I've heard someone tell me that." Chi-chi responded sincerely, looking down at her hands.

"I'm glad to be here to remind you. Really, you are beautiful, Chi-chi." He smiles wickedly.

It almost puzzles her to even think a young, handsome guy as Trunks would ever think of her as such. Moreover, she was a bit surprised when she replies, "And you're very..." Her voice trails off, unable to resist the urge to look at his prince-like face and his flaring, blue eyes.

_C'mon, say it, baby. _He thought with a smirk. "I'm very what, Chi-chi?" Now he too couldn't shake off the desire to study her face. Much older, but still looking gorgeous as ever. He refrains himself from saying anymore. He didn't want to seem _too_ interested or anything, just enough to keep her going.

A smile found its way to Chi-chi lips and she lets out a giggle. _Oh my... Why does he have this unnerving effect on me? I've got to learn to quit blushing!_

"You know, Trunks, you get a lot of that cockiness from your father."

Trunks lies back with his hands connected behind his head. "Oh, is that so? I thought I grew out of that when I was a kid." He lets out a laugh himself.

Chi-chi smiles fondly at her memories. It was always Goten and Trunks. The two of them had gone _everywhere_ together. Trunks was the only one Goten's age that could handle him, and it was not unusual when he and her son became best friends. Thinking about it made Chi-chi incredibly happy. "You and Goten used to get in so, so much trouble!"

"I know that all too well, Chi-chi. I'm glad to have grown out of that phase." Trunks smiles now that he thinks about it. He had wondered many times as a child how that shy, timid kid, who was always whining and hiding, could be so out going and reckless now that he was older.

"You've become a very, fine young gentleman. I'm sure you already know how impressed your parents and I were."

"Aw, Chi-chi," Trunks chuckles. "C'mon, you're embarrassing me. Just like my mother." Trunks felt himself growing warm all over, and covers his face with his hand.

"Oh, look at you, Trunks. Now it's you who's blushing!"

And with that said, the two enjoy the next half hour filled with old memories.

"You wore a bikini for armor when you were younger? Wow, Chi-chi, that's something I never would have guessed!" Trunks says, turning to Chi-chi after taking a restroom break from their conversation.

"Don't even remind me. I was such a prance girl at that age."

"Oh, really? I'd love to hear about it." Trunks flashes another signature, slick smile.

Chi-chi, who started to feel comfortable enough to take her house slippers off, lies back in the couch and decides to give in to Trunks' curiosity. She threw in parts that she thought he'd find interesting, like how she dated Yamcha for almost a full half hour, and babbled about being the Ox princess, the day Master Roshi put out that horrible fire at their home. God forbid she ever mention any parts of Goku as she talked on and on. From Gohan's first A on a test in school to Goten's first steps.

"And that's it, I guess..." She mumbles, glancing at the clock. While they both didn't even realize it, they've been chatting for hours. It was already dark out.

Trunks follows her eyes and sees the time, and smiles. He was happy and it was nice having Chi-chi to talk with. And all through it he hadn't really said anything too out of line nor looked at her like _that_.

"Thank you, Trunks. For staying this late with me."

"It's no problem. We're friends, remember?"

After looking down, Chi-chi smiles. "Yeah." She replies.


	10. Our Choices Define Us

"Goodbye, Trunks."

"Laters, Chi-chi." Trunks replies before leaving.

I close my eyes and lean my back against the door. While not even realizing it, I was smiling like an idiot. Smiling because inside I feel giddy with butterflies for spending nearly a whole day with Trunks. Although nothing happened between us, it was nice having a friend, or at least something close to it.

After taking off the little makeup I had on and changing into my pajamas, I slip in my bedroom and go to bed. I close my eyes and rest my head back on the pillow.

Trunks looked so comfortable on the couch and was so open with me. The atmosphere was so lively when we both talked on and on about silly things, and the smell of his signature cologne still hung in the air. My tales from less stressed times seemed to intrigue him. Not once did we have an awkward silence, thank Dende.

I can't help but grin to myself at the thought.

The four or five hours that we chatted had been the shortest hours of my life. In that short amount of time, the personal memories we spoke about was better than any talk Goku and I had ever shared since forever. I cringe with a grin. Would sharing a life with Trunks ever happen?

How weird would that be? And how would that affect his image, being seen with him?

Well, even if that were to happen, I wouldn't mind. For now, I put those questions aside and out of my mind. The last thing I need was something to keep me up. Looking over to my clock, I can see it's almost midnight. If I can't stop thinking about him, then I will stay up all night imagining all the different scenarios that might happen with him. And I simply don't have the time for that.

...

For Trunks, the day had been rather enjoyable.

Trunks had spend the majority of his day with Chi-chi, and it came as a surprise to him when he had realized the time when he finally left. Chi-chi was an amazing woman, very strong and independent, but still... She was Chi-chi. His best friend's mother. Someone Trunks had began to care a lot about, but who wasn't exactly the kind of woman his own mother would expect him spending entire days with. Though, the evening had certainly showed him a side of the woman he'd never seen before.

Coasting closer to home, he sees no lights on in the house. Hopefully his parents were asleep and the servants weren't out either. Not that they would be wondering he was doing out so late, as it wasn't unusual for a guy his age to be out, it was just he didn't want his mother to be questioning him on his whereabouts all day. It wasn't in his interest to still be living at home with his family, but he could always count on his mother to be on his case until he moved out.

Quickly, he flew over to his window and started quietly tugging it open. After thirty seconds Trunks began to feel a bit nervous when the damned thing wouldn't budge, but he'd done it a hundred times as a teenager whenever he sneaked out, maybe if he just tried a bit more...

Suddenly his blue eyes go wide when he notices something odd at the bottom of the window. "Huh?"

Inspecting closer inside, he sees the hatch on the sill firmly sitting in the 'lock' position. He never locks his window. Damn servants for moving things around in his quarters. He thought he made it clear last time he didn't want them near his room when one of the maids walked in on him more times than the man seemed comfortable with when he stepped out from a shower.

Letting out a sigh, he quickly floated over to his other windows, but found them all locked as well. The doors of their large home wasn't an option either, he foolishly left his wallet and keys back on his nightstand thinking he wouldn't spend more than a few hours at Chi-chi's. Trunks turned to his last resort, the hallway. Looking in the slightly larger window made Trunks feel even more cautious. It had to be the worse time to break in the window directly next to his little sister's room. When he sees that the coast was clear, he swiftly tugs and opens it. With a silent grin, he slowly got inside. Hidden in the darkness of the hallway, he turned around to finally shut it closed.

Trunks walks down the hall, but before he could enter his bedroom, a figure steps out from a shadow.

Bra smirks up at her adult brother, knowing full well that he'd just caught her brother in an awkward situation. "How's the weather out there?"

Although she got no response but a stink eye, she knew Trunks was quickly thinking of a cover story to come up with. But she knew better. Bra would find out what her big brother was hiding eventually, and she's make sure to pry out all the embarrassment she possibly could from him.

"...You were in my room?"

The younger sibling uncrossed her arms. "You should be thanking me for being kind enough to close your windows. You're welcome." The pre-teen says with her father's sneer.

"I'm not thanking you."

"That's being rude."

"To hell with you, Bra." Trunks retorts and starts going into his room. Before the door shuts closed, Bra sticks her foot in the doorway. "Why do you insist on bothering me? Aren't you supposed to be asleep?"

"You've been weird lately. I think it's time for me to find out why." She said. Trunks wasn't around as much and a few days ago Bra started noticing her brother being distracted, as if something was changing. But she didn't have a clue to what it could be. And although she'd never admit it to him, Bra didn't want anything bad to happen to her older brother. Life definitely wouldn't be as much fun if Trunks left. Being most observant and youngest of the family, she always noticed the small things that went on in her home.

Trunks closes his eyes in defeat. "You're not going to stop bothering me until I tell you, huh?"

"That's right!"

"If you ever mention it to Mom, I swear I'll make you wish you hadn't." Leaning back and resting on his wall, Trunks sighs. "I met someone - that's it."

"Heh, I knew it all along." Bra lied, her smirk couldn't have been any larger.

Trunks rolls his eyes and feels his patience wearing thin. "...she's just a friend. We've been growing close and I've been seeing her more. I mean, I'm been doing the best I can to keep her smiling. I care about her and she's always been looking out for me. We can been ourselves around each other." He pauses for a second. He clears his throat after realizing he'd said more than he should have. "Is that good enough for you?"

Bra considered for a moment and a smile finds it's way to her face. A girlfriend? Of course! Why didn't she think of that before? She was obviously over thinking the situation. She lets out a breath."Alright, but one more question!"

"Shoot, then."

"So...Does that mean you're getting laid?"

Trunk's cobalt eyes widens and he stares at her."Wh-What?! Go to bed, Bra!"

...

When she finally leaves, I close the door and walk back to my bed. Once I'm out of my day clothes and snuggled under my covers, I finally begin to relax. It probably wasn't a great idea to tell Bra, but it's okay. I can always come up with a better cover story later.

Beside me on the nightstand, my phone starts to vibrate. Picking it up, I notice Goten had been texting me multiple times since this morning. I waste no time reading them.

_10:34 AM_

_You up, bro? call me! lol_

_10:50 AM_

_sup you must be busy, call when you can, this is important. _

_p.s. No, i did not get my hair stuck in the car door again! _

The corners of my mouth quirk up in a smile. I quickly hit the 'next' button.

_11:32 AM_

_i know youre reading this, trunks. dont play that game right now, im going to call._

_11:33 AM_

_(4) Missed calls_

_12:05 PM_

_really bro? my mom isn't picking up her phone. thats the reason ive been trying to call you. i think something happened. your sister picked up the phone when i called your house, said you weren't there. hope ur OK and i hope my mom is too._

My heart drops. Goten's going to be pissed. For a few seconds, I lay in place thinking how stupid I've been acting today. First him, then my sister? Who else is going to get suspicious? There were going to be so many problems if Chi-chi and I are going to get serious. I could probably go on and reply to him now, but it's too late and he'd wonder why I'm up, too...

Under my pillow, my phone vibrates again.

_12:14 AM_

"Huh?" I whisper to myself. My eyes dart to the time on the corner of the screen. He sent me a message less than a minute ago. I jab the button and open up the message:

_trunks, what were you doing at my moms house?_

And that was the last thing I read before turning it off and tossing it on the nightstand. I'm not in the mood to think about this right now! After closing my eyes, I turn away from it and stare out at the darkness through my window, the night sky glittered with stars. And honestly, all I want tonight is for Chi-chi to be beside me.

**Don't hate me for making you wait for an update. I'm really sorry, but thanks for sticking with this story. Please review.**


	11. Priority

**Hello, yet another much awaited update. I will be trying to make these chapters longer because you're all wonderful and I should stop waiting so long to update. Sorry about that! Anyways, please review?**

One week later.

Trunks watches the clock tick over to two o'clock pm and massages his neck as he rolls it side to side. He hardly had a goodnight's sleep, his morning meetings had been incredibly stressful, and not once in five days did he had a chance to visit Chi-chi.

And it was the day he was finally going to obtain something he had promised himself to achieve five years ago. The culmination of all his hard work. Long hours of research and studying, and sleepless nights of experimentation and investigation; of attaining a name for himself in the field of technology when he realized being the heir of the largest, richest and most influential companies in the world just wasn't good enough for him. Trunks had long ago learned he wouldn't get anywhere through being the grandson of the founder alone. By the end of high school, he'd decided on devoting the rest of his time as a scientist like the rest of his maternal family.

So he worked harder on reaching his mother's position than anyone else in the corporation.

And here he was. Trunks wonders if she'd change her mind. Bulma always insisted that they keep their personal lives separate from their professional lives, so no mercy will be given during his evaluation interview for the position of president at Capsule Corp.

With an exhausted sigh, Trunks closes the file in his hands and tosses on his desk. A buzzer rang from the phone on his desk. "Sir, your mother will be arriving to your office shortly."

"This will take a while-" his voice is harsh and he clears his throat. "Please cancel my next meeting, Andrea."

"Yes, sir." The secretary mutters through the speaker. He did not, under any circumstances, want to be interrupted from his interview.

_Everything you've worked for counts on this one, _he cautioned himself. _You got this, T-man._

And then the door swung open and, hardly aware of doing so, he straightens his posture.

Trunks glimpses up. He couldn't help but feel nervous when the heiress of the company sat down. As a child, he'd been to a handful of interviews and meetings with his mother and the employees almost seemed to shrink and fade as she poured out questions and scenarios to them, expecting nothing but the best to work at their family's company. It didn't matter how much you kissed up to her.

He was the youngest scientist of the Capsule Corp, yet he was one of the most successful and one evaluation away from being the top of the chain. He caught on to resentment some of the other scientists had given him. It was always the jealous ones who had fifteen to thirty years behind them when he only had gotten out from college, not to mention all the reputable degrees and practices they earned as well.

"I appreciate you doing this, Mom" Trunks says politely and proper. His purple hair was long enough for him to tie back in a business ponytail with the short pieces falling to the sides of his face. The black glasses on he wore were no more than an accessory to match the sophisticated style of his colleagues.

"Right," Bulma responds. "Again, before we start, be aware that this position isn't the easiest job in the world. Not only would you be responsible for the entire company, but you will also need to take care of the finances, marketing, distribution, logistics, employee management. Basically Capsule Corp.'s every need. If it were up to me, I would have you wait another five years before even considering being president of the corporation, but you have your father's stubbornness. It will be hard, Trunks."

"Mom, I know what I'm capable of. I can do this." Trunks counters quickly, his eyes never leaving hers. It takes that one look on her son's face to convince her to go through with the plan and start the evaluation, and another three hours before either of them could leave the room.

...

A week came and went and everything seemed to be back to "normal". Trunks continued to work restlessly at Capsule Corp. while Chi-chi lounged around, worked chores, or went to the market. Trunks' absence had not as nearly been as lonely as she had anticipated - Goten, of all people, had surprisingly called to at last join her for lunch the that morning. She had been practically begging her son for company for a week.

Chi-chi closes her eyes and enjoys the hot tea she sips from her cup. She had gotten a great night's sleep, cooking lunch had gone well, and for the first time since he'd moved, Goten was back at home. And, on top of all that, Chi-chi had taken the entire day before finishing the rest of her chores. She did not, under any circumstances, want stressing about chores to interrupt her time with her son.

A smile forms on her face. It was going to be another _great _day.

Goten is on the other side of the patio table, happily eating away at the lunch his mother had served him. Across from him, his mother calmly sips her tea. To anyone else, there was nothing odd about it. However, Goten knew there was something else. He was not sure why his mother was in such a good mood, since nothing fantastic had happened, but he wasn't one to knock a smile when it came back.

"I have to admit, Goten, I wasn't expecting you to ever come back to visit me." Chi-chi pleasantly jokes when she looks up at her son. Goten rolls his eyes and chews, his mouth too full to respond. After a few moments he swallows.

"Have a little faith, Mom. Sorry, but a city life is a busy life, you know." He grabs the napkin next to his plate and smears the ketchup off his mouth. "And how could I ever forget about these wonderful meals you always make me?"

Chi-chi smiles, yet again. "It's okay. I'm not mad at you or anything. You just surprised me by calling, that's all, dear. Not seeing Valese today? Where is she?"

"At the beach. Or with her girlfriends. Probably both." he answered.

"How's she doing? You told me she got a job last Friday."

"She's fine. Though, Val spent most of her first pay check buying clothes and swim suits."

Chi-chi smirks. "I can imagine you _love_ that."

"Love what?" Goten obliviously asks, picking up yet another chicken leg. Chi-chi rolls her eyes behind closed lids. He was indeed his father's son.

They sat in silence for a few moments as Chi-chi finished the rest of her cup.

"Mom, can I ask you a question?" Goten asks after finishing his own orange juice.

"You just did, sweetie."

Goten sits in his chair, trying to figure out the right way to ask his mother about the other night when he found out about Trunks.

"Mom, I..." Goten begins after a few minutes.

_One week before..._

And so the first part of the day went by, Goten not hearing from Trunks for any of it. He'd sent his best friend a message twice every hour, incredibly excited to be done with the craziness of moving into his apartment and wanting to show it off to someone.

Reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone, he saw saw no new messages.

With an irritated expression on his face, Goten decided to get that lunch his mother had been nagging him for out of the way. He had to sooner or later. Gohan would have a hissy fit if he didn't.

He typed the number in his phone and called Chi-chi.

"Hey, mom-"

"_Please leave a message after the tone."__  
_

Goten groaned. After hitting the end button on the screen, Goten decided ring the Brief house:

"Hello?"

"_Goten?_"

"Bra? What are you doing answering the phone? Shouldn't you be in school?"

"_..._" The youngest Brief heard the man laugh on the other line after a moment.

"I won't tell your parents. I'd be doing the same."

"_I'm assuming you're calling for Trunks, right? Well, your boyfriend's not here._"

"Where is he, then?"

"_Oh, you're boyfriend? __I dunno, it's not like I keep tabs on him._"

"Oh, alright."

The Saiyan scratched his head and ended the call.

"...What the hell could he be doing?" he asked aloud, becoming more frustrated than bored as he tried figuring things out. He'd never ignored Goten before, so why was he doing it now?

___really bro? my mom isn't picking up her phone. thats the reason ive been trying to call you. i think something happened. your sister picked up the phone when i called your house, said you weren't there. hope ur OK and i hope my mom is too._ He sent him.

No reply.

Fine, if no one was going to talk to him, he wasn't going to stress over it. The last thing he needed was to worry about whatever was going on with everyone.

* * *

At some point later that day, Goten eventually got tired of being killed by the darkspawn creatures, so he turned his Xbox off, slipped out of the apartment and got into his car. It was nearly midnight and during the entire evening, Chi-chi didn't once answer her phone. Starting up his car, he pulled out of the parking lot and took off towards his mother's house.

With the radio playing quietly, he caught the light in the windows of the spherical house ahead of him. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Although he hated to admit it to himself, he was slightly worried about her.

At first, Goten was ready to get inside. He hadn't eaten since noon and all the fast food restaurants had to be closed by now. But then the door opened.

"It's no problem." Trunks said as he opened the door and got out.

Chi-chi also got out, then the two of them looked at each other.

"Trunks?" Seated in the drivers seat with the windows open to let the gentle breeze in, Goten quickly shut off his engine. Kami forbid they'd already seen him. He was frustrated, to say the least, knowing Trunks was here all along instead of being with him, but he quickly reminded himself of the real question. Why was Trunks here in the first place?

Just as he glanced back up, he saw the Saiyan jump up into the air and take off, with his mother leaning on the door, looking out at him. That made him angrier than he thought it would.

"Mom...?" Goten whispered to himself when she got back inside and closed the door behind her.

He sat alone, in the middle of the night, outside his mother's house in his car. Part of him wanted to get out and demand his mother tell him what _that _was all about, but the better part of him that knew what his mother was going through made him decide against it.

The last thing Goten thought about that night wasn't Chi-chi.

Unexpectedly, he found himself quickly opening his phone and hastily typing away a message.

_trunks, what were you doing at my moms house?_

* * *

...

"You...what?" Chi-chi asks, shaking him from his train of thought.

"N-nevermind." He decides to save it for another time. He couldn't risk ruining the positive mood she was in.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Well, no, but at the same time, yeah."

"You're doing that confusing thing you do again, dear."

The both share a smile.

"Anyways, Mom, I was feeling a bit uneasy about moving out. You know, leaving you alone here."

"Thanks for the concern," Chi-chi says, inwardly rolling her eyes. "But it's not as bad as you think. I'm actually feeling better about the whole thing, now that I've had time to think over it."

"Gohan and I will always be there for you. So will Krillin, 18, Bulma, _Trunks_..." Goten finishes, emphasizing his last word.

Chi-chi's heartbeat pumps faster when she heard his name. She grew incredibly warm, and looks away to avoid looking obvious.

"What is it?" Goten asks suddenly.

"..."

"...Mom..."

"I'm really glad you came, honey. And I'm even gladder that you've stayed so long." Chi-chi says as she took the dirty lunch plates.

...

Sitting at in his office with his tie undone and one of his shoeless legs on top of the desk, Trunks felt glad it was finally over. After the interview, the man would be damned if his mother didn't choose him for the position.

His mom may not have been able to tell Trunks was exhausted by the time she left, but he had his sweaty jacket off the moment she turned around to leave.

And just like that, the clock ticks over to the five and his work week was finally finished.

Once Trunks was outside the building, Trunks looks down at his cellphone screen with a voice notification from his mother:

"_Trunks, you gotta pick up your younger sister from Pan's place. Your father broken the cleaning VI again, so I'll be busy fixin' that mess up!_" In the background he heard his father yelling four letter word obscenities. "_Vegeta, stop scolding it! Anyways, honey, get her something from Burger King, too. I know, I know, you don't want to, but I don't trust her flying yet! And also, I don't think I'll have time to make any dinner. Love ya!"_

Trunks rolls his eyes. _Damn. Can't a guy catch a break?_


End file.
